Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: thedoc on 31/08/2016 17:23:02
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Anthony leyland asked the Naked Scientists:
A few days ago, just after sun down, we saw a pure red rainbow. I never knew these existed. I assume it's down to the same reason we have red sunsets - that red light gets scattered less by the atmosphere. But I'd appreciate a more educated explanation!!
Thanks
What do you think?
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Same reason as the orangey rainbows, see ... http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=18551.0 [reply #9]
If the sun had actually set the red rainbow would arc very high in the sky
[ A recent one in the UK ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/25/spectacular-red-rainbow-illuminates-historic-english-town--in-ph/ ]
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Anthony leyland asked the Naked Scientists:
A few days ago, just after sun down, we saw a pure red rainbow. I never knew these existed. I assume it's down to the same reason we have red sunsets - that red light gets scattered less by the atmosphere. But I'd appreciate a more educated explanation!!
Thanks
What do you think?
Not so much down to the same reason but rather a result of a red sunset.
A rainbow is produced by raindrops functioning exactly like Newton's Prism.
Light enters the sunny side of a raindrop and is refracted or bent by doing so.
It then reflects off of the back inner wall of the raindrop and refracts a second time as it passes back out of the sunny side of the drop.
Newton discovered that a Prism will refract light of different wave-lengths by different angles. Resulting in 'White Light' fanning out into the ROYGBIV spectrum we all recognize.
So what happens when you only start with light of Red Wave-lengths???
:)
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So what happens when you only start with light of Red Wave-lengths???
If red's all you' e got, then red's all you'll get [:)]